Saturday, November 14, 2015

Guantanamo revisited

When he was a young man, Musaab al-Madhwani was arrested in
September 2002 by Pakistani authorities in Karachi.
Before he was sent to Guantánamo he was “in another prison in Afghanistan,
under the ground, [and] it was very dark … It was impossible that I could get
out of there alive. I was really beaten and tortured,” he told a prisoner
review board.

The U.S.
alleges that Madhwani, a Yemeni, is an Al-Qaeda operative. However, in
2010, when U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan reviewed the case, he
ruled that Madhwani, “young, unemployed, undereducated,” was, “at
best, a low-level al-Qaeda figure” who apparently never “even finished his
weapons training,” never “fired a weapon in battle” and never “planned,
participated in or even knew of any terrorist plots.”

Some of the men alluded to in the al-Jazeera article have been held for as long as 14 years. Many have dossiers with evidence provided by dubious sources and bearing the note, "These statements are included without consideration of veracity, accuracy, or reliability.” Many of the informants got rich providing information about the 'terrorists' close at hand.

Held without recourse. Sold based on uncorroborated information. It is a travesty that reflects poorly on the United States ... for anyone who gives a shit about what that might any longer mean.

If they're guilty, then by all means nail their hides to the barnyard door. Prove it. Play the Texas card if you must. But do not smear the flag with patriotic bullshit and politically-expedient scare tactics.

My name is Adam Fisher. I live in Northampton, Mass., U.S.A. I have a wife and three children. This is my blog and consists of almost-daily postings -- sometimes (older) about the Zen Buddhism I have admired and practiced for something short of 50 years; sometimes about other 'spiritual' matters; and (more recently) about whatever strikes my fancy. Except to the extent that it might help others to consider what sort of fool they might prefer not to be, this blog does not aim to help anyone. Writing is an old and diminishing habit. It's what I do. Once upon a time, I built a zendo/meditation hall in the backyard here and invited people to come. The zendo is still there and my Dharma name is still "Genkaku" ("original realization" or "original understanding") but these days the formality of meditation has drained. Black Moon Zendo is still a good zendo, but I am 77 in 2017 ... creaky and disinclined. I honor those who make courageous journeys, but am hoist by my own observation that "Just because you are indispensable to the universe does not mean the universe needs your help." Best wishes to all. I can be contacted at genkakukigen@aol.com